The rapid growth of the internet and the content available through the internet has increased the demand for highbandwidth connectivity. Digital subscriber line technology meets this demand by providing higher bandwidth data service over existing twisted pair telephone lines. DSL technology achieves the higher data transmission rates by taking advantages of unused frequencies, which are significantly higher than voice band frequencies, on the existing twisted pair lines. The newer generations of DSL systems such as Very High Bit Rate DSL (VDSL) lines utilize very high frequency transmission on the order of 1 to 12 MHz in frequency.
DSL systems typically include multiple bundles of twisted pair wires that may be located within close proximity to each other. Because of the high frequencies involved, communication occurring on one wire may degrade or substantially disrupt communication on an adjacent wire by causing electromagnetically induced crosstalk on the adjacent wire. These crosstalk signals which are induced on neighboring wires can severely disrupt communications which are being attempted on the impacted wires. In addition, if the proximate wires are not being used at the particular time, the systems connected to those wires may erroneously conclude that data communications are being attempted from a device connected to the wires. If these induced signals are not eliminated or disregarded, they can result in systems assuming that a data communication link has occurred on the unused wire. This condition is referred to as phantom link and can result in serious disruption to the management of the data communication network.